Rachel's Blessing

In spite of all that's been going on with dad, we decided to go ahead and bless Rachel today. We figured that dad wouldn't be able to come for a while anyway so that makes picking a different date hard and Andrew's Aunt Stacey already flew out from California. Plus, Karen made a spectacular luncheon for us and what would she have done with all the food if we hadn't had all that company?

Three little babies got blessed in our ward today. The other two were quite a bit older than Rachel and made her seem so small, which was kind of strange since yesterday we compared her to my friends' baby and she seemed so big!

The bishop said that baby blessings are a little peek at what Heavenly Father knows about our babies. He tells us just a little bit and lets us figure everything else out. Rachel is very special to us, and she's also very special to Heavenly Father, from what he told us today.

Rachel wore the dress that Diane Mora (? I think ?) made for me that I got blessed in, and which Josie was also blessed in. I think she looked pretty cute in it. She fell asleep on Josie's lap during Sacrament Meeting and she looked like a little doll from the stand.


Sacrament Meeting was pretty crazy. Andrew played the organ and I led the music. Then Andrew said the invocation. Then we went and sat in the congregation for Owen's blessing. Then Andrew blessed Rachel. Then he returned to the congregation for Isaac's blessing. Then we went back up to the stand to do the sacrament hymn and had the sacrament. The we went and sat down. Then Rachel woke up screaming and so I went out to feed her for the duration of the testimony bearing. I walked back in just as the bishop was announcing the closing song so I passed Rachel off to my mom and Andrew and I booted it back up to the stands and did the closing song. It was a pretty busy hour for us!

To top it all off, I only had enough time to feed Rachel on one side...and we all know how well I produce milk...well, while I was conducting the closing hymn my body decided Rachel was still hungry and fed her vicariously through my shirt. I didn't notice until I folded my arms for the prayer and felt rather wet. I looked down and the front of my shirt was covered with milk! It had leaked through my breast pad, even! No use crying over spilt milk, I guess, although it was rather embarrassing.

Andrew, Patrick, Rachel and I, with Rachel's blanket perched on one shoulder to cover up my little incident, stayed for the rest of the block. The Heisses headed to Andrew's parents' house to visit, the Laytons headed to the hospital to visit dad, and mom went home to have a nap.

After church we had a luncheon at Andrew's parents' house, which was really quite fun. We really enjoyed the company of our family and friends.

Now our sweet little girl is really ours. We keep saying that after she passes every mile stone: taking her home from the hospital, having her belly button fall off, getting her birth certificate, etc., etc. Well, now that she has a name and a blessing, she's ours, although I guess she's technically on loan.

In the words of my friend Rasmi, Isaac's mom, "Why would Heavenly Father trust me with such a perfect little being?"